Important Information

Contracts:

• Do not sign any agreement or contract that you have not thoroughly read and understood. Even German-speaking students must remember to read the fine print!
• No contract must be signed immediately. Legitimate contracting parties will often allow at least 24 hours for you to think things over. If you are pressured to sign a contract immediately, then you should be very suspicious.

Internet purchases:

• Never submit the secret PIN number to your credit card. If a website asks you for this number, then it is not a legitimate website.
• Be cautious when signing contracts with companies that advertise free incentives for signing (for example, a phone company that advertises worldwide free SMS texting). No company gives their product away for free, and these companies often make their money back by charging exorbitant fees over long periods of time (which are only mentioned in the fine print of the contract). Unfortunately, these contracts are still legally binding.

Bank accounts:

• Bank accounts must contain sufficient funds for all withdrawals. Insufficient funds result in monetary penalties which, if they remain unpaid, accumulate into debt.
• For example, after two months of insufficient funds, health insurance coverage is terminated, and if large amounts of debt are accrued, students may lose their student visas (permits to live in the country).
• Bills must be paid by their stated deadline and if the money has not been received by that deadline, you will receive an overdue notice or warning letter in the mail.
• If you receive an overdue notice, respond immediately! With every overdue notice, the amount of money owed only increases and: 1st overdue notice -> 2nd overdue notice -> action taken by a debt collector = enforcement under the law -> legal action in the form of a lawsuit = conviction of a crime -> the loss of your student visa (permit to live in the country)!

Health insurance:

• Health insurance is very important, as an unforeseen accident can generate tremendous costs. Without insurance, a ride in an ambulance costs upwards of 200€, a stay in the hospital costs 300€ a day, and a stay in the emergency room costs 1500€ a day.
• Students must ensure that their bank accounts contain sufficient funds for their health insurance even when they are away on vacation or at an internship. In worst case scenarios, terminated health insurance can also result in the loss of their student visas (permits to live in the country).

Mailbox:

• Check your mailbox at least twice a week.
• German authorities send letters, not e-mails, so if you receive a letter in German, make sure to have someone translate it for you.
• If you are on vacation or away for a longer period of time, give your mailbox key to a trusted friend, as well as any information necessary for them to sign for your letters and packages (for example your first name, last name, birth date, nationality, and address). If you are still in Germany, you can also have your mail forwarded to your new address.

Important documents

Its time to buck up and get started with the VISA process. It can quiet tedious at times and depending on your country of origin and stay, the visa process can take between 2 days and over a month. Its best to be safe, and apply early.

Do you need a Visa?

As an international student coming from outside the European Union, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Australia, Canada, Israel, Japan, New Zealand or USA, it is necessary to get a German student visa from a German Embassy PRIOR to entering Germany.

Important Documents

You generally need the following documents:

• Visa Application

• A Valid passport

• Proof of enrollment ("Immatrikulationsbecheinigung")

• Proof of sufficient funding

• Proof of health insurance valid in Germany

Visa Process

The Visa process differs from country to country. In some, you might need to go through an official interview. In others, you’ll just need to submit your application with necessary documents. It can be fast or slow, depending on your consulate. A list of German embassies can be found here. Contact the respective consulate for more information.

Visa and Residence Permit

The initial Student Visa which is granted by the German Embassy is valid upto 3 months from the time of issue (it permits you to enter Germany). Soon after coming here, you’ll have to apply for a Residence Permit ("Aufenthaltsbewillingung") at the Foreigners' Registration Office ("Ausländerbehörde") on campus. You will be given more information about how to apply during your O-week.

If you have any further questions, feel free to contact the registrar or click here for more information.

MUST READ !

src: extracts from Information for Incoming Freshmen by Jacobs University

There are few things that you will need to know. We have collected all necessary information and links for you, so that you do not necessarily have to search all websites.

Housing Preference Surveys

Undergraduate Students will be living in the Colleges. To be able to consider your preferences, incoming students for Fall 2009 should fill in the Housing Preference Survey by no later than July 15, 2009.

Vaccination Recommendation

Before coming to Jacobs University, we strongly suggest that you receive vaccinations against the following avoidable diseases, as per the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO):

1. Measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR)
2. Diphtheria, tetanus, and polio (DPT)
3. Hepatitis A&B
4. pneumonia
5. chicken pox
6. influenza
   In individual cases, missing vaccinations may be gotten in Bremen.

Laptop Offers

Each year, the IT department arranges for laptop offers that students can order via Jacobs University. Details on the offer for 2009 can be found at the IRC-IT pages at Student Laptop O-Week 2009. FAQs regarding this topic can be found at Student Laptop FAQs. The links to this years (2010) laptop offer will be provided as soon as they are available.

Language Program at Jacobs University Bremen

We are pleased to offer you a number of language courses:
You can learn German, the mother-tongue of your new home country; a number of European languages such as French or Spanish; or you can choose to study Chinese. Since 2005 we also offer the course "English for Academic Purposes" as an extracurricular course. To help you to find the appropriate entry level into our scheme of courses there will be a mandatory placement test during O-Week and in the first week of the new semester.